Refrigerating device

Abstract

A refrigerating device has a housing including at least one storage compartment. A cooling apparatus including an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser is accommodated in the base of the housing, the evaporator being surrounded by a casing of a thermally conductive material in good thermal contact with the evaporator. The casing separates a passage for circulating a stream of air to be cooled from an additional passage through which an additional stream of air is intermittently passed, after being conducted past or through the condenser or compressor of the cooling apparatus and being heated thereby, the heated additional stream of air defrosting the evaporator. The intermittent passage of the stream of hot air is controlled by deviating flap valves which may be insulated, the position of the flap valves being controlled in dependence on operating parameters of the cooling apparatus.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: 
     
       1. A method of operating a refrigerator having a compartment to be cooled, and an evaporator, said method comprising the steps of: circulating air in a closed cooling stream through said compartment and over one side of said evaporator; periodically circulating air at a temperature above 10° C in a defrosting stream over the other side of said evaporator; and separating said streams at all times and preventing air from said cooling stream from mixing with air from said defrosting stream. 
     
     
       2. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of passing said defrosting stream over a condenser of said refrigerator before passing same over said other side of said evaporator. 
     
     
       3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising the step of normally only passing said defrosting stream over said condenser, said defrosting stream being deflected to pass over said other side of said evaporator. 
     
     
       4. The method defined in claim 3, wherein said cooling stream is passed through said evaporator and said defrosting stream is passed around said evaporator. 
     
     
       5. A refrigerating device comprising: a housing having at least one storage compartment; a cooling apparatus having a low-temperature zone including at least one evaporator and a high-temperature zone including a condenser and a compressor; cooling means for circulating a cooling stream of air through said compartment and over said evaporator; defrosting means for circulating a defrosting stream of air through said high-temperature zone and over said evaporator; and means including at least one partition for separating said streams and completely preventing air from one stream from mixing with air from the other stream. 
     
     
       6. The refrigerating device defined in claim 5 wherein said evaporator has a pair of sides, said means for circulating said cooling stream being on one of said sides and said means for circulating said defrosting stream being on the other side. 
     
     
       7. The refrigerating device defined in claim 6 wherein said evaporator is provided with a coil in a heat-conducting casing constituting said partition, said one side being the interior of said casing and said other side being the exterior of said casing. 
     
     
       8. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said housing further includes a base; and wherein said cooling apparatus is accommodated in said base. 
     
     
       9. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said circulating means each include means for advancing the respective streams of air. 
     
     
       10. A device as defined in claim 5, and further comprising a substantially box-shaped casing surrounding said evaporator and in a good thermally conductive contact therewith; and wherein said casing constitutes said partition and separates a passage for said cooling stream of air from a defrosting passage for said additional stream of air. 
     
     
       11. A device as defined in claim 10, and further comprising means for bounding said additional passage arranged at the outer circumference of said casing. 
     
     
       12. A device as defined in claim 10, wherein said casing is of a material having high thermal conductivity. 
     
     
       13. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said defrosting means includes deflecting flap valves displaceable between a closed position for circulation of said defrosting stream only in said high-temperature zone and an open position for circulation of said defrosting stream through said high-temperature zone and over said evaporator. 
     
     
       14. A device as defined in claim 13, and further including means for controlling said flap valves in dependence on the operating conditions of said cooling apparatus. 
     
     
       15. A device as defined in claim 13, wherein said flap valves are thermally insulated so as to prevent undesirable heat exchange between said low temperature and high temperature zones. 
     
     
       16. A device as defined in claim 13, wherein said defrosting means further includes at least one control member; and further including means for actuating said control member in dependence on the temperature of said condenser. 
     
     
       17. A device as defined in claim 13, wherein said defrosting means further includes at least one control member; and further including means for actuating said control member in dependence on the compression pressure of said compressor.